Caomh

And so the Air twisted and turned and compacted Itself tighter and tighter until It became a fertile black Soil, falling down and down until the Elements around could bear no more and rolled above It. It sank and became the Ground, while the Others merged in combination into all sorts of interesting Things. Water misted into Space, while foaming Lava seared Rivers through the fresh Ground. Shimmering Crystals exploded into colorful Flames upon the lightest Touch, spilling their Colors like Diamonds atop the strange Landscape. "The Earth here is of Air, the Air is of Water, the Water is of Fire, the Fire is of Earth." Says the Conscience of the Cosmos. It regards Its Creation with a thousand Eyes. "What think Thou, Mine Children Feyn and Fiendish?" "It is of You, Sire, Sir." They replied and approached the new Canvas. "I will build atop this Land a glowing Metropolis. A sprawling Labyrinth of Life and Love, where My blessed Ones may roam and Conquer. I will play a Song for it." The Fey pulls off His Head three Hairs and strums Them between His Fingers. "May the Kind and Innocent thrive here." "A glowing Town for a glowing Promise," comments the Fiend. "Very well. I will carve below this Earth a majestic Lake. It will fester with the greatest Beasts and Spirits, with healing Plants and sunken Riches to reward the Brave. I will write it a Ballad," She carves words into the Bedrock with her Eyes. "May the Honest and Ambitious thrive here." "Thou shalt do well with such Incentive." The Conscience of the Cosmos nods in approval. "And between your Mirrors I shall raise the highest Peaks and impress the lowest Valleys, to scrape the Sky and break the Sea." "Praise be," says the Fey. "Praise be." says the Fiend.

-Kå’iiyoëlmn, Part III, Lines 179~197

Geography

Caomh is consisted of two distinct parts: Central Caomh, a continental landmass about 1/3 the size of Wysteria that has very diverse climates due to the high mountains that block the movement of moisture and air waves, notably featuring both the highest grounded peak in the Material Plane, as well as the deepest above-ground valley that fills to be the deepest above-ground river; as well as Lower Caomh, a series of islands dappled around Central Caomh, mostly to the Eastern and Southern sides. Most are connected to ocean floor, but a notable amount are detached "floating islands" remaining in place due to unique forces. This is speculated to be possibly either magnetic or magical. Geographers have long theorized that Caomh and Wysteria used to be one big megacontinent (they refer to this landmass as The Total) that split off violently from each other because of apocalyptic clashes between gods during the Primordial Age. True or not, to this day Caomh and Wysteria are connected by a land bridge that for most of the year is meters sunken below the sea. However, during the Spring Solstice (Perfect Dawn) and Fall Solstice (Red Raid Ride), the seawater is at its most Out, revealing much of the land bridge above water to permiss approximately six days of travel across each time. While easily confused with Upper Caomh, Caomh in fact is distinct from Upper Caomh. While according to mythos (questioned slightly by arcane historians) they were once considered a uniform grounded continent known to scholars as Old Caomh, Earthly Caomh, or most commonly Middle Caomh (referring to the Middle Ages it was present in), generally in current times they are considered two different continents/regions. Caomh is one of the most generously well-bestowed grounded regions of the world when it comes magical properties, parred only by select parts of the Wild Isles, as well as around ancient ruins in the sea and the Underdark. It boasts many ancient deposits of magical crystals, and in its unexcavated wilderness troves of ruins, artifacts, plants, and most impressively magical megafauna. The hoard of the Far Seeker is believed to be somewhere in Caomh, which often invites curious young explorers to, pun intended, seek it. Another notable geographical feature of Caomh is its Twin Ports. They are a pair of magical portals that link their respective Port Cities to Upper Caomh and the Underdark respectively. They are not easily accessible and are heavily defended. Alpha Geminae houses the Lunar Port, while Beta Geminae boasts the Caomhic Surface Underdark. The Lunar Port is considered the only permanent and "public" access to Upper Caomh via land travel.

History

In the Primordial Ages and the Middle Ages, Caomh was said to be one with Upper Caomh, with Upper Caomh being but the Northwestern islets surrounding Caomh. According to myth, many great warrior of the Quelling originated from Caomh, as well as notable parts of the Tempest Everlasting. Caomhic history has contributed a lot to the modern idea that the Tempest Everlasting may not have just been a magical storm, but to this day it remains a mystery. In recorded history, Caomh became a place of refuge for nonhumans when the empire of Stormfell first began its conquest, eventually sprawling across most of Wysteria. The displaced minority races there migranted en masse to Central Caomh, settling with its indigenous races (though not without conflict). At first, the native residents of Lower Caomh secluded themselves from Central Caomh (At this point, Upper Caomh had been elevated. however, it wasn't long before trade relations as well as the necessity for resistance against Wysterian forces unified the people of Caomh beneath one banner as a unified continent. The classic Wysterian perspective is to regard Caomh as one nation of sorts, but that is misinformed at best, ignorance in truth. Caomh is diverse and occupied by thousands of local forces from just bands of hunters to small settlements of farmers. Its drastically different climates across the landmass lends itself to great differences in its miscellaneous cultures that for the most part developed independently of one another. In more modern times, Caomh has been more unified than ever by the increasing presence of the Riders in it. While opinions on increasing militarization by said Riders vary, it's generally accepted that the Riders are a necessary defensive force in the continent, and many various groups, however secluded, contribute resources or promising youth to the rebellion effort. Caomh boasts to be the (confirmed) birthplace of many well-known personalities. Most notably, this list includes Alexandre Havendust, founder of the Library of Alexandre; Doria Locketpicker, the figurehead co-founder of the Riders; Wild Card, the inventor of the Greatbow and considered the third greatest sharpshooter in the world; Catl Inuch, one of the world's greatest sorceresses, appointed overseer of the grounded side of the Twin Ports; At Dawn We March to Sea, the head of the Eayoian Hunt and highest authority in any religious sect that heralds Eayoius; and Kikira, the current figurehead of the Riders. It's also argued that various deities and generally powerful entities had their beginnings in Caomh, though there is no way to verify that. Notably, the Stormfallen Panthora Minora prince Eyon currently resides in Caomh in training along with the Eayoian Hunt, over which the Riders have no jurisdiction.

Tourism

While Tourism from Wysteria has been uncommon since hundreds of years ago due to the inaccessibility of Caomh from the sea that seperates them most of the year and the military conflicts between the Riders and Stormfell during the Red Raid Ride and the Perfect Dawn, The residents of Caomh themselves love to travel its lands, intermingled with the occasional Wild Isles guest who braved the waves. Dungeoneer and Explorer are considered legitimate and even respectable careers in Caomh, as its rich unexcavated treasures are thought to be able to benefit everyone, no matter who discovers it. Despite the allure its wilderness has, the port cities are also huge attractions for people all around Caomh. The Surface Underdark connects you to a random part of its surface and could be both an exciting adventure with promise of treasure and glory or a gloomy grave for the bold and self-assured, while the Lunar Port welcomes tourists to upper Caomh to enjoy vacations, honeymoons, or as scholarly or diplomatic trips. The Riders man both these ports with the help of their affiliated dark elves and various birdfolk generally free of charge to make sure no one unqualified puts their neck on the line in the Surface underdark and no one with less than decent intentions get into the poorly defended Upper Caomh.

Alternative Name(s)

Middle Caomh

Type

Continent

Location under

The Material Plane

Included Organizations